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Starting out

Speats23307Speats23307 Posts: 6
in General Chat
I am determined to start triathlons this year but i am really struggling with the swim. I just cannot seem to get the breathing right to be able to crawl the full distance. Is it worth just mixing crawl with breast stroke and pick an early Tri or continue training until i get the crawl right before starting? Has anyone else been in this situation and be able to provide some advice?

Comments

  • eakettseaketts Posts: 5
    This summer i will be doing my first sprint tri and will be doing the Great North Swim in a few weeks time as my first open water. My technique isn't greta and I'm slow but managed to build up to comfortably swim a mile in the pool by building crawl into breast broke length. One crawl every 5 breast stroke till i was doing 1 up 1 down then dropped the amount of length and did just crawl for the duration and some drills from the total immersion swimming book.

    Obviously I'm a rank amateur and a fairly poor swimmer but doing this built my pool fitness and gave me the confidence in the water to crawl rather than breast stroke.

    best of luck with your training and your summer event
    Will
  • Speats23307Speats23307 Posts: 6
    Will, Thank you for the advice, i will take it on board. Likewise, good luck on your event.

    Justin
  • sonofsammosonofsammo Posts: 191
    For your first sprint, swim however u like so you can finish.
    I had to learn freestyle from scratch, but my first two sprints i did b/stroke.
    There's nothing that helps you learn about triathlon like doing a triathlon- crack on and enjoy :-D
  • Big TonyBig Tony Posts: 16
    Don't try and swim lots of lengths all at once all that happens is your technique suffers. Next time your at the pool (25m) then a swim a length giving yourself a minute to complete it each length, so if you swim each length in about 40 seconds it would give you 20 seconds rest each length.
    Then just keep plugging away it just takes time.
  • JameslyJamesly Posts: 69
    i have entered my first ever triathlon - the Hever one in Septermber - and like you was worried about my swimming. I went to my gym, which has a pool, and they recommended i get some 1-1 coaching. This is the way forward, although around £18 per 1/2 hour - after a few lessons my swimming has completely changed - i can now swim length after lenght, feel stronger and have swum in a lake a couple of times. If you can afford it, then get lessons - once you have the basics of a stroke you will find it much easier.
  • wburnishwburnish Posts: 41
    I did all of my tri last year dong BS and went bak to having lessons for Crawl. And after all of that I am still no faster. For your 1st few just work on what feels right, it makes no differeance.

    Also look at pacing. I leant to do 4 lengths in under 3 mins and then used teh remandign time as rest. as I got quciker i rested more then dropped it to 2.30
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